Invalid or Impossible Social Security Numbers
Social Security Numbers having the following characteristics are invalid or impossible:
- AREA, GROUP, or SERIAL are composed of all zeroes (e.g, 000-45-6789, 123-00-6789, 123-45-0000)
- AREA number 666 (never have and never will be issued)
- AREA numbers 700 to 728 (Railroad workers through July 1, 1963, then discontinued)
- AREA numbers 900-999 (not valid SSNs, but were used for program purposes when state aid to the aged, blind and disabled was converted to a federal program administered by SSA)
Unassigned GROUP numbers
For administrative reasons, GROUP numbers are NOT assigned sequentially but rather follow this order:
- ODD, 01 to 09(01, 03, … 09)
- EVEN, 10 to 98(10, 12, … 98)
- EVEN, 02 to 08(02, 04, … 08)
- ODD, 11 to 99 (11, 13, … 99)
Check the latest Social Security Number Monthly Issuance Table at SSA’s Website for the highest group number assigned for each SSN Area. For example, if the highest group number assigned for area 999 is 72 (within the EVEN, 10 to 98 range), then we know that alleged number 999-04-1234 is an invalid number because group number in the EVEN, 02 to 08 range have not yet been assigned.
Social Security Number Used In Advertising (Making Them Invalid)
Specific Social Security Numbers have been used in advertising over the years, which has rendered those numbers invalid. The most famous instance is that of the E. H. Ferree Company in Lockport, New York, which in 1938 decided to promote its product by showing how a Social Security card would fit into its wallets. Over time the number that appeared (078-05-1120) was claimed by over 40,000 people as their own.
The SSA tells the whole story The Social Security Administration now recommends that people showing Social Security cards in advertisements use numbers in the range 987-65-4320 through 987-65-4329. According to one source the following SSNs have been used in ads:
| 002-28-1852 | 042-10-3580 | 062-36-0749 | 078-05-1120 | 095-07-3645 |
| 128-03-6045 | 135-01-6629 | 141-18-6941 | 165-16-7999 | 165-18-7999 |
| 165-20-7999 | 165-22-7999 | 165-24-7999 | 189-09-2294 | 212-09-7694 |
| 212-09-9999 | 306-30-2348 | 308-12-5070 | 468-28-8779 | 549-24-1889 |
